Chain, Chain, Chain....

So, it's Sunday morning and I've got my cup of strong, hot coffee and the sun is shining in the kitchen window and I've done little more than complain about how full my stomach still is from the night before when the neighbors took the wife and me out to Famous Dave's for a feast that would choke an alligator. I sit down on my nice, padded kitchen chair, flip open the laptop, fire up my e-mail program and the first letter I open is a f@#$ing chain letter. But it's not just any chain letter. This one goes right for my guilty gut. Click "read more" below if you dare. . .

And the chain e-mail begins thusly.....

---

To whom much is given much is required ! Pray for our troops and our president !

I HOPE I DO NOT HEAR OF ANYONE BREAKING THIS ONE OR SEE DELETED

This is a ribbon for soldiers fighting in Iraq. Pass it on to everyone and pray.

Sleep Last Night?

Bed A Little Bumpy?

Toss and turn any...


Wish the heat was higher...

Maybe the a/c wasn't on...


Had to go to the john..


Need a drink of water...













Yes.. It is like that!

Count your blessings, pray for them,

Talk to your Creator
...and the next time when the other car cuts you off and you hit the brakes, or you have to park a little further from Walmart than you want to be, or you're served slightly warm food at the restaurant, or you're sitting and cursing the traffic in front of you, or the shower runs out of hot water...
Think of them...

Protecting your freedom!

DO NOT DELETE-PLS PASS ON-

Message from Iraq:

The proud warriors of Baker Company wanted to do something to pay tribute To our fallen comrades So since we are part of the only Marine Infantry Battalion left in Iraq the one way that we could think of doing that is By taking a picture of Baker Company saying the way we feel. It would be awesome if you could find a way to share this with our fellow countrymen. I was wondering if there was any way to get this into your papers to let the world know that "WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN" and are proud to serve our country." Semper Fi



1st Sgt Dave Jobe

The attached photo was forwarded from one of the last U.S. Marine companies in Iraq. They would like to have it passed to as many people as possible, to let the folks back home know that they remember why they're there and that they remember those who've been lost.




Send this to 13 people in the next 15 minutes. Go.

<---------end of chain letter--------->

---

So after reading all that, the guilt seeped in. I mean, that was the intent, right? Well, it worked, but probably not in the way it was meant to.



I don't feel guilty that I haven't draped the stars and stripes across everthing I own or sang patriotic songs at the local church or blindly followed the edicts of the people who started this war or those who continue to perpetuate it.




And, after all I've read on the subject, I certainly don't believe Iraq had anything to do with 9-11 - despite the repeated efforts, year after year, of those who insist on confusing the issue - even after the recent conviction of Lewis "scooter" Libby and the very public revelations regarding the dirty politics of this administration - who, in deliberately revealing the classified identity of a public servent, showed they couldn't give a shit about who they sacrifice to get what they want. But that's politics as usual and I digress.



I do feel guilty that, in the four years since the Iraq war began, I haven't personally sacrificed anything for the people who really put their ass on the line - despite our president's early insistence that I go shopping and carry on as usual and simply trust them to take care of all the war business. That didn't work out so well.



I feel guilty that our leaders goals don't seem worthy of our soldier's souls, and, by my apathy and inaction, I am complicit in their suffering and their deaths.



I feel guilty that I haven't used my freedom to protest on behalf of my beliefs for fear of confrontation with the vocal minority who would like to punish me for those beliefs.



I feel guilty that all I've done is send a few e-mails to my congressmen; blog about it and bitch about it to people who already agree with me. A bare-minimum effort. And I know quite a few people who haven't even done that.




I know many of you don't agree with my take on all this, and that's your right. I'll respect your beliefs if you'll respect mine. But I'm no longer willing to be silent when somebody insinuates that I'm unpatriotic - especially if it's because I didn't forward a f@#$%ing chain letter.



But I do want Baker Company and all the vets to know that I am thinking about them, and that I do appreciate their sacrifice. I'm going to try to do more to remember that they're still out there, some of them waiting for us to step up and use the freedoms we have to help make the world a better place. Letting the war in Iraq continue indefinitely in the name of "The War On Terror", I believe, doesn't serve that purpose.



This country, and all the high ideals it was supposed to stand for, like liberty, free speech, representative democracy, the rule of law, freedom of religion, freedom to peacably assemble, freedom to keep and bear arms, freedom from unreasonable searches, seizures and forfeitures, freedom to petition our government for a redress of grievances, does have its enemies to be sure.



But I'd argue that not all of those enemies are 'dirty brown people' who live in abject poverty and continually suffer our interference in their political and economic affairs. I'd argue that some of those enemies are currently controlling the multi-billion dollar defense and security contracts, both public and increasingly private, who have a vested interest in promoting fear and insecurity for reasons that, I think, are less than patriotic.




To some, war is a great business opportunity. Cynical, but just as true now as it was in World War I. In Michigan, where we continue to suffer the economically eroding effects of NAFTA, CAFTA, and all those other trade priveleges that send millions of jobs out of the country and put billions of more dollars in the pockets of a few already wealthy business interests, we should know that profit doesn't respect patriotism. Profit only respects more profit.



Our enemies, as a free and open society, are those who want to tell us which God to worship, which books to read and which to avoid, which churches to attend, who deserves to be loved, who gets health benefits, and what your children learn about the world in which they live. And when freedom of expression crosses the line of decency into gross exploitation, we should argue about the best way to remain a healthy society and find consensus on how we should move ahead.



I believe rigid fundamentalism, whatever its origin, whatever its intent, is the enemy of all free people and leads to fascism. Once a group of people are convinced of their rightness and superiority over another people, particularly in the name of religion or nationalism, human rights go out the window and nothing but bloodshed and human suffering follow. Recent history will back me up on that.



So god help us if there's another serious stike on U.S. soil before we act in good faith to give some balance to the current thrust of violence, intolerance and insanity, because the enemies to those values we hold so dear may finally get their own way and put a lock-down of all our rights and priveleges. And this time around there will be even less public will to fight their very organized and concerted plans for the future of this country and the world insofar as it concerns their very narrow interests.



Ok, enough of my preaching. Do what your conscience demands.

Scooter Gets Convicted

tag: Scooter Libbey Conviction

So Scooter (I still can't over that nickname. I imagine a colorful beany with a propellor on his head) Libbey gets convicted on four counts of, basically, obstructing justice by lying about what he knew and when he knew it. One of the jurors said they felt bad about the conviction, but the prosecution's evidence was overwhelming.

The most interesting thing, of couse, is not that this little snake got caught being a little snake, it's that a presidential administration would engage in the deliberate outing an officer of the CIA to get some payback for getting caught in a lie. As far as I'm concerned, that's treason and somebody should hang, literally. But what do you expect from former Nixon administration officials? Dirty politics, of course.

No doubt, Scooter will get pardoned by Bush. He's got nothing to lose with a 29% approval rating. Sure, the Grand Old Party will be a little miffed, since it makes them look bad for the '08 presidential election, but if they do it now, nobody in America will remember by that time. We have VERY short attention spans.

Now, what was I talking about......????

The Birth of a New Word

I just made up a word by accidentally misreading a passage in "American Fascists: The Christian Right And The War On America". Author Chris Hedges wrote about how American industrialists and intellectuals flirted with the idea of fascism in the 1930s. Benito Mussolini called what he was doing "corporatism", 'which created an unchecked industrial and business aristocracy.' Sounds familiar, eh?

Anyway, "corporatism" was hyphenated on the page and so was "aristocracy". I inadvertently skipped a line and thus....

CORPO-TACRACY or perhaps CORPOTACRACY

I know, I know. Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue and it's hardly original sounding, but it really was an accident.

Infosnacking Sojo

Two great new internet terms I gleaned from Fronline's latest series on reporting and the media.

SoJo - Solo journalist, particularly an independent blogger.

InfoSnacking - the act of consuming small bits of news by following hyperlinks from a news story or news website.

Know Your Local God Squad

Jupiter informed me that he's about to start an eight-week training course at the local police department with three of his fellow gun-toting god brothers from church, including the assistant pastor. For eight weeks they will be familiarized with local criminal activity and police procedures. This includes going on patrol with an officer, he says, trying hard not to gloat and failing miserably.

Suddenly, I have a vision of cross-encrusted jackboots wrestling a non-believers to the ground. Small, chromed fish symbols glittering in the night as a pack of Harleys leave the scene.

Jupiter already has an inflated sense of self-importance. I can't imagine how insufferable he'll be if endowed with an official certificate suitable for framing.

"So,how did this all come about?" I asked innocuously, so as not to arouse any suspicion of disapproval.

Turns out one of his god brothers is a police officer and he signed up their entire Big Boy club, sort of a Christian support group for manly men who meet for breakfast once a week and work out their issues.

"Man, I'll tell you what, it's good to know somebody on the inside, know what I mean?"

Weeks earlier, this same miracle-working godbrother turned a moving violation into a mere $100 ticket. Jupiter rear-ended some woman while momentarily distracted, pretty much destroying her car. His truck only sustained a pushed-in fender. Nobody was hurt, thank God, but for those out of the loop, this kind of accident could have cost hundreds of dollars in fines, several points on a license and mandatory driver safety school the violator would no doubt have to pay for.

"He swears he had nothing to do with it, but I know better," Jupiter says. "It's good to have someone on the inside..." His expression lingers until he's sure I've received the point.

His explanations always carry an air of exclusivity, a self-aggrandizing heap doled out on a daily basis; always right, always one better, never to be outdone, an Alpha Male In Good Standing With Jesus, Our Lord, Amen. If he were five, instead of forty-five, he'd be prancing around the school yard singing, "Nyah, nyah, nyah-nyah, nyah, nyah! I get to be the poleese-man and you-hoo-ooh do-on't!"

I admit to being a little jealous. Why does HE get be the policeman? And why are my tax dollars paying for it?

After a little digging, I got my answer. As part of our county's emergency preparedness program, citizen security forces are being trained in the event of some unsuspected cataclysm that, as history has proven, might overwhelm the funding, capacity and/or competency of our government agencies. Citizens will be 'better prepared to survive and recover from hazards including extreme weather, major power outages, fires, transportation or hazardous materials incidents, and weapons of mass destruction such as a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or explosive-incendiary incidents.' Or, say, the second-coming and the apocalypse.

In addition to preparing for emergencies, selected citizens will also be trained to help prevent a terrorist or criminal act by watching for suspicious activities and reporting them to authorities . Don't look now friend, but your assistant pastor has been drafted as an official snitch. Hope your tithings are in order Goody Proctor.

So, in the event of a cataclysmic emergency, Jupiter and his gun-toting godbrothers will be securing our homeland from terrorists and other godless non-believers. I think we've got the beginnings of a goon squad here.

It's not that I think they're not qualified to help the authorities protect their citizens in times of crisis, but I question their motivations and their commitment to secure the freedom of all Americans. Their loyalties lie with their community; their church according to their interpretation of the bible - and protecting them exclusively. They spend the majority of their week reading Christian books, listening to Christian Radio programs, Christina CD's, Christian DVDs and Christian brodcasts, not to mention encouraging "fellowship" among their followers. It's a closed loop of information without any outside input. When you're convinced you're right, you don't see the point of inviting outside opinions. When you add political and economic power to that you get fascism becauuse there are no dissenters around to say, "Hey, now, that's just f*in crazy." The members of the "in" club are worried about how they'll be perceived by "members" in this parallel world they've created and don't want to bring the weight of it down upon their heads so they remain silent, until it's too late.

So it worryies me that my local police are training these people up to protect me and mine. I understand the need to get community groups and churches involved in the procedures, because that's where people are and it makes them easier to reach. Fine. But I'm wary of involving organized religion in such sensitive security infrastructure as homeland security operations, and I kind of resent using tax dollars to train them to "save" me.

"I'm living for the hereafter," Jupiter told me the other day. "I'm not living for the here and now." Chilling words from a potential rescuer. Sounds like something an Iraqi martyr might say.

Christo-Fascism On The March

I'm reading a book called "American Fascists; The Christian Right and The War On America." by Chris Hedges, a respected war correspondent. It's about the rise of the Christian Right in the U.S., their formidible political, financial and media power, and their attack on secularism and humanism in the United States - (all the while claiming they're the victims, of course. Remember 2005's "attack" on Christmas? Ugh.). Hedges draws parallels between fascist movements of the past and Christian "Dominionists" whose political and media power affect and challenge every aspect of contemporary American culture.

To some, the possiblity of Dominionism (i.e. Christo-Fascism) taking over in America, and then the world, seems like just another pop conspiracy theory designed to sell books. Even Hedges himself admits, "It was hard, at the time, to take such fantastic rhetoric seriously, especially given the buffoonish quality of those who expounded it." But 25 years after he was warned about the rise of Christian fundamentalists by a professor at Harvard Divinity School, he witnessed the prophetic warning continue to manifest itself and, apparently, took it seriously enough to write a book about it.

If you'd like to get a good idea of what Hedges is expounding, Read this article at TheocracyWatch.org.

Oh, and by the way, when I bought this book, which is brand new and currently on the media lecture circuit, I had to ask for help at Borders Books to find it. A single copy was buried deep in the back of the store with the other political science books - not up front with the other hard-cover, non-fiction, new releases. Hey, Christianity is very $$$popular$$$ right now.

When someone is convinced they're right, surround themselves with others who feel exactly the same way, quash any dissenting opinions and and use God to justify their behavior, watch out. Christo-fascists and Islamo-fascists have more in common with eachother than they do with the mass of humanity.

Riffing On The Times 2.20.07

As always, the headlines are taken from The New York Times and the sub-heads are made-up.


Merger Would End Satellite Radio’s Rivalry - XM gets SIRIUS about forming monopoly

North Africa Feared as Staging Ground for Terror - Actual terror to take place elsewhere

Iraqi Militants Launch Attack on U.S. Outpost - Likewise, they are not welcomed as "liberators".

Anglicans Rebuke U.S. Branch on Same-Sex Unions - Insist both men and women should enjoy labor representation.

Old Foes Join in Anger as Train Bombing’s Toll Rises to 66 - Pakistan & India; terrorism makes strange bedfellows.

Mideast Talks Conclude With Little Result - What, this is news?

In New Orleans, Bands Struggle to Regain Footing - Katrina & Insurance fraud gives hope to homeless and hungry musicians.

Job Corps Plans Makeover for a Changed Economy - Poor find work as IED Inspectors and Community Relations Reps in Iraq

After a Rampage, Trying to Grasp What Led a Son to Kill - Mall maniac leaves....ok I can't think of anything to write here.

Delusional Hypocrisy

Yesterday morning I watched Representative John Boehner say, regarding Iraq, that, "We didn't start this war..."

Completely delusional. And I think he really believes it. He's still trying to confuse the War On Iraq with the "War On Terror." Still pretending that they're one and the same. As If saying it long enough, it will become true.

This reminds me of the claims by Christians that there's a perpetual attack on Christianity. Over and over again I hear, personally, that Christianity is being attacked by secular humanists and liberals. Give me a break. All we really hope to do is ignore you. By posing as a perpetual victim nobody will blame them when they "defend" themselves - even if that means throwing the first punch or worse. So much for turning the other cheek.



Re: Tim Hardaway's admitted homophobia. Don't condone violence against homosexuals, bu jeez, at least he's honest about his homophobia. Honesty is such a rare commodity these days.

Update

It's been quite a whiile since I've updated this blog. I think I just got so depressed about the state of our so-called union that I just had nothing more to add. Sure, the U.S. Democratic party's win in 2006 gave me a glimmer of hope that the whole election system hasn't been totally comprimised, but I tend to believe that it's because one set of theives and liars were able to able to upset the plans of the other group of theives and liars. I'm not foolish enough to believe that anyone will be doing the will of the people anytime soon.

But for two more years, the current administration in power will continue to loot our treasury either by unfair tax cuts for the rich, no-bid contracts for their buddies, or outright theft - like the 12billion that's somehow gone missing in Iraq. Any gains 'we the people' make will be paid for by us, as evidenced from the presidents proposed health care plan (i.e. the middle class with so-called "gold-plated health care plans" (his words) will pay taxes on that coverage to pay for the lower working-class tax credits (Why isn't anyone on the right screaming about that proposed tax increase? Fucking hypocrites). But he's thinking like the ivy-league snot. The poor/uninsured don't need and won't use tax credits.

One thing's for sure about these guys, they're high-rollers, radical risk-takers with brass balls who are going to take this game as far as they can before it's all over. The final grab. I think they're itching to start a regional war in the middle east while they still have their finger on the trigger. That should be interesting. Can't wait to see how Russia and China react.

And so it goes.

Edward Lazear, the chairman of the President's Council on Economic Advisors is telling me on C-Span that the economy is strong, productivity is up, wages are up, everthing good is up, up, up. My feeling is their economic policy is about as accurate as their post-invasion plans for Iraq - completely fucking deluded. Michigan is fucked. Ask our governor.

In my world, several companies around have condensed their operatioins, shipped their factories overseas or closed completely. Napoleon K still doesn't have health care and he and my wife are earning barely above the poverty rate (which is a lie anyway) with no hope of earning substantiallly more. Welcome to the McJobs of the 21st century, controlled by the handful of companies who occupy every strip mall and big-box store in your town or city. A life of crime is looking more and more like a viable alternative to working hard and playing by the rules.


At least life in America isn't boring. And I would guess it's going to get a whole lot more exciting if things keep going the way they are. Can't wait.


Eat The Rich

Sudra's Incredible Shrinking World

Speaking of my Non-Adventurous Life (title of this blog), it seems the older I get the more my world shrinks. I have no friends anymore; anybody I find even remotely interesting moves away or has no use for my presence in their lives. Even adding my two cents on this blog seems completely empty and meaningless. Nobody cares what I think and, conversely, I don't really care what anybody else thinks about the foibles of political charletains and the pop-curio of the week. If there's one thing I've learned, it's how to waste vast amounts of time.

The whole human experience just seems like a perpetual muddle to me anymore, so I think I'll turn my attention inward. There's really nothing for me out here anymore, but perhaps a reflection of my inner life, a digital mirror to turn to now and again for.......I don't know. Just for amusement, I guess.


If, when and until a shred of optimism shakes me out of this mood, adieu.

Foley Cites Alcoholism as Cause....kinda.

According to the New York Times, disgraced congressional Republican, Mark Foley, checked himself into a rehab clinic to treat his “alcoholism and related behavioral problems.” Apparently the congressman's lawyer cites Foley's hidden alcoholism as a cause for his latest problems and the loss of his job. 'Mr. Foley’s lawyer, David Roth, said that Mr. Foley had sent the inappropriate e-mail messages while under the influence of alcohol and that he had kept his drinking problem secret.'

Personally, I don't think it's his taste for a drink that people have a problem with (that's still a socially acceptable failing for a congressman), it's his taste for teenage boys as chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children.

Ugh. The hypocrisy. Every speech he ever gave in that job is going to come back to haunt him.

Riffing On The Times 10.2.06

As always, the headlines are taken right from NYT but the sub-heads are made-up.


TOP STORIES:

Roberts Court May Be Defined in Second Term - Liberals bend over while conservatives unzip.

Former Pages Describe Foley as Caring Ally - Convgressman offered back rubs, movie tickets, iPods and more to teenage boys "Just to break the ice".

Global Sludge Ends in Tragedy for Ivory Coast - Corporate Oil dumps toxic waste on "Mud People".

WORLD:

Fatal Clashes in Gaza Over Unpaid Salaries - U.S. and Israeli boycotts and forfetures have intended effect on struggling democracy.

Embattled Brazil Incumbent Fails to Win First-Round Ballot -Platform of social justice and clean government has proven to be a loser with Global Corporations and their hentchmen at Choice Point.

Serbia Asserts Its Sovereignty Over Kosovo in Legislation - Here we go again...

US:

A Farmer Fears His Way of Life Has Dwindled Down to a Final Generation - Global AgriCorps offer him and his spawn jobs as marketing props for their "Fresh Harvest" campaign.

Wait Ends for Father and Son Exiled by F.B.I. Terror Inquiry - U.S. allows their re-entry as second-class citizens.

Wal-Mart to Add More Part-Timers and Wage Caps - Rumors of employees with affordable health insurance and clean shelter snaps Board of Directors into action.

I'm a Uniter, Not a Divider, You F***ing Democrats!

Yesterday, on the television, I heard my president use the phrase "Cut 'N Run Democrats" to describe Americans who have the audacity to want and end to a war on Iraq in the guise of pursuing a "war on terror" (before that it was to "spread Democracy", before that it was a need for "regime change", and before that an imminent threat of a "mushroom cloud" and "weapons of mass distruction" - pardon me if I don't believe your motives this time). What immediately came to mind is the speech in which our president says "I'm a uniter, not a divider."

Sigh. No, sir, you are a hypocrite and a liar and I've never been more ashamed of my country.

Shit-Slinging and Assymetric Warfare

Two things seem pretty evident this week; neither the war on terror (which, I like to remind everybody, is a tactic - not an enemy) or the culture war between liberals and conservatives is getting any better. In both cases, things continue to get much worse.

The leaking of a six-month old National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) that concluded we're creating more terrorists than we're getting rid of, the mutiny of U.S. military Generals against Donald Rumsfeld, and current conditions (thousands of sectarian murders) on the ground are irrefutable evidence that, for whatever reason, Iraq is falling apart and we can't seem to make it work. We need a new plan - either win the hearts and minds of everyday Iraqis with overwhelming generosity and goodwill, block by block if need be, or blow those hearts and minds acrosss the desert in a full-on genocide. Anything less than those two extremes will result in a long, painful and expensive quagmire that will cost thousands of American lives, hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars and any credibility we ever had in the world. Most people seem to agree that our current "strategy" (whatever that is) is unrealistic and unsustainable. Anyway, enough of my blather, please read this fascinating articla about Assymetric Warfare on DKosopedia. Conservative or Liberal, I think you'll find it interesting.

And we're more hotly divided in this country than we ever have been in my memory. Its evident in the lack of courtesy and decorum on the the shit-slinging that takes place on so-called "talk" shows and website forums, both liberal and conservative. Nobody seems to be trying to understand the arguments on the other side, most seem content to call the other names. We belittle and dismiss one another reflexively. If there was anything good to come out of 9/11, its that those differences disappeared for a very short while and we all pulled together. Too bad it takes that kind of disaster to remind us we're all on the same team.

Half-Cocked And Ready To Fight

Yesterday I left a nasty comment on the blog of a Harvard Economics Professor who was arguing against the federal minimmum wage laws and somewhat in favor of the Earned Income Tax Credit (but only as a last resort). A litany of supportive comments followed his article, most championing the conservative wisdom of a professor who resides within maybe one of the most powerful learning institutions in America.

His blog was actually in response to who he called "misguided students" who marched in support of a living wage for so-caleed "unskilled" staff on the Harvard campus. Because of Harvard's vast endowment, which would easily allow the school to afford such a move, the professor argued that it would be artificial and, overall, a bad message for business in American and bad move for our economy.

I went off on him.

Not because I'm qualified to argue with a Harvard economics professor, (I'm just a pseudo-intellectual, community-college drop-out) but because I'm a hothead and I'm tired of people so far removed from the struggle for working-class Americans making decisions that so profoundly affect them - especially when they're never experienced the day-to-day lives of the working poor. In other words, men in ivory towers shouldn't talk about how $10.51 an hour (in Boston no less - you try and survive on that, mother-fucker ) is too much money. Especially when the benefactors of current economic policies are enjoying such an overabundance of profit made with the blessing of George The Younger. It's extremely offensive to some of us.

Let's face it, the rich rely on the sweat of the working poor - always have, always will. Fine, theat's an economic hierarchy that will never change - at least not as long as humans control the resources. But don't think you can rationalize that injustice in public without risk of getting a virtual tomato smashed upside your insulated Harvard melon. There's a whole lot of us out here who are pissed-off about our fading prosperity while fat-cat Harvard-educated MBA's look for new and complicated ways to screw us out of the meager wages we get.

Anyway, I'm kind of afraid to even go back to that website. I'm sure I'm getting throttled on every side by conservatives who think I'm not qualified to argue the point, missed the point completely, don't understand the point, or otherwise am not worthy of being scraped off the bottom of their right wingtips. But, I must retrieve my comments for posterity...


Well, you’ve answered for me how our so-called “leaders” become so out of touch with their working-class constituents. You talk about the economics of the working poor as if their circumstance were merely the natural order of the universe, and that your access to an Ivy League education and a brilliant career were a birthright. Don't talk to me about what a unskilled labor is worth until you've at least "walked the walk" like Ehrenreich did. She's a liberal, and it sent her running for the sanctuary of her own priveleged life. What’s lacking from this conversation is a sense of humility and any attempt at finding humanity in economics - which works out so well for those at the top. I can't believe there's an argument about whether a working-class gig at Harvard is worth $10.00 bucks an hour? Who deciides? Unfortunately, you do. And you’ll spend years arguing why the very least among you don't deserve enough money for a clean place to live and insurance against a medical disaster. I never hear a serious discussion about the social cost of a company pulling a $100,000,000,000 out of an economy in a single year while their employees are eating Ramen noodles bought with food stamps and wonder if that pain they feel in their gut is from poor nutrition or stomach cancer. Their choice is to work for that company, or the other national behemoth down the street who offer the exact same lack of wages and benefits. If there is any justification for a minimum wage in America, then there must be justification for a maximum profit as well. If there isn’t, then I hope you’re all be prepared for the social cost that stress and status anxiety will bring to your doorstep. Will you chase those lowly souls back across the bridge by force or will you foolishly ask, “Why do they hate us so much?”

Always Impressed by Conservative Blame-Gamers

It seems the conservatives have finally smartened up and realized that, "Hey, with all our money and political connections we should be the ones re-writing history for the hoi polloi. It's all Clinton's fault!"

I'm referring of course to the reported revisionist history of "The Path To 9/11" a docu-drama to be aired on ABC that reportedly will squarely place the blame for the attack on the Clinton administration (conservatives are still blaming Clinton even though they've controlled all three branches of government for six years - and just in time for the election!) Never mind that Bill Clinton actually ordered attacks on Bin Laden's terror camps and blew up an aspirin-factory in the Sudan in an attempt to hurt Al Queda. Never mind that President Bush and his cabal ignored a PDB entitled "Bin Laden Determined To Strike WIthin The U.S." Don't even get me started on how that cabal abused actual intelligence to sell the Iraq war to a gullible and vulnerable public. Bush wasn't worried about Bin Laden because he was too busy giving massive tax cuts to his already bloated billionaire friends - I'm sorry, I mean his base.

Check out the inside story about the solidly right-wing creators of "The Path To 9/11" at The Huffington Post"

Interested in the Clinton Conspiracy side instead? Check out The Greatest Jeneration.

The culture war is still raging on with the full support of a president who laughably declared he was a "uniter, not a divider".

Who knows, maybe we'll have a red state/blue state civil war of our own some day. We're on the verge of drawing eachother's blood in this country like the Sunnis and the Shia.

Five Years After 9/11

Five years after we were attacked by Al Queda, Osama Bin Laden is still at large, the former World Trade Center is still a hole in the ground and we've pissed away almost half a trillion dollars in Iraq. Somebody is getting really, really rich from all this while continuous electricity and clean water are still a rarity in that country. Sad.

I said it then, and I'll say it now - I can't believe we invaded Iraq. I blame George Bush, Paul Wolfowitz, Dick Cheney, Don Runsfeld, Condo-Leaser Rice and Colin Powell - I blame Powell for not having the decency to resign before they made him lie to us. A good soldier till the very end. Perhaps it's time to retire that sidearm, sir.

Oh, and I blame CONGRESS -for ignoring your oversight DUTY to the AMERICAN PEOPLE. You're all fired.

I remember standing in my kitchen, my jaw on the floor, while the president announced his plans for "the war on terror". We have about as much a chance of winning the "war on terror" as we do "the war on drugs". Terrorism is an intelligence matter - always was, always will be. You can say you're fighting a "war" on terror - but it's a lie. Wars are for nation/states. You can take a military action against terrorists - but you can't fight a war on a tactic. It's all bullshit. Smedley Butler is turning in his grave.

But even five years after 9/11- 43% of Americans still believe the War On Iraq had something to do with 9/11. Sad. Now the Republicans are singing the same song in this electioin cycle. Are most people still that gullible? Probably.

Productivity Continues To Rise, Wages Continue To Fall

The New York Times reported that wages have fallen to their lowest point relative to productivity since they began taking data in 1947. But P.Bush, always the delusional optimist (which is nicer than calling him an outright liar) stated recently that "Things are good for the American Worker." A NYTimes Editorial said that comment was "preposterous".

My job review's coming up soon. Somehow I bet my boss will try to sell me on the idea that, for the fifth year in a row, I don't need a raise that keeps pace with inflation. Instead I get a 5yr pin, a company party, and the assurance that I should be so lucky to have a job in this economy.. Think of all those poor auto workers. Meanwhile, a large deposit is made somewhere in the Cayman Islands.....


Toil and Toil Til You Burst a Bubble
in your stress-addled brain, that's what you'll get for your trouble.

Random Revolutionary Thoughts

Business Entitlements Are Costing Michigan Too Much

My Republican-controlled state legislature (with the help of that old-school fat cat Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson) decided to do an end-run around our Democratic governor and repealed the state's Single Business Tax (SBT) last week. You see, the Governor vowed to veto the bill unless there was a viable plan to replace the $2,000,000,000 in state revenue it produced -especially at a time when our state's economy is suffering from corporate outsourcing and auto-related factory closures (there's no such thing as patriotism when it comes to your profit, eh boys?). It's common sense right? Just like a real person wouldn't quit their job unless they had another one lined up first, or at least was operating at a comfortable surplus. It's the RESPONSIBLE thing to do. But it's not the Repubican thing to do.

Our Fearless Leader (Blustering, Bumbling, Blundering Bush) has shown our state Republicans (by example) that just because you don't have a viable plan for the future doesn't mean you can't charge ahead and spend as much as you like - especially if YOU ALREADY GOT YOURS. It seems to be the Republicans job to dump as much of the tax burden on the working class as possible, then wait for a Democratic politician to come along and clean up the scattered debris of failed Republican economic policies - like the disaster left by another old-school fat cat, Governor John Engler. Businesses now feel ENTITLED to massive tax breaks to stay in or come to any particular state- regardless of how much or how many of that state's resources they use while pursuing a profit. They just pass the tax burden onto the little guy. Somehow, I doubt it will be any different this time.

Someday soon, without a living wage, without any health-care, without overtime, a pension, or a single pot to piss in - we'll be coming to your gated communities by the busload and knocking on your mahogany & leaded glass doors to collect our share of your tax-free windfalls. When we do, you'd better hope the local police department got their millage increase.

The Hunting Of The President

I just got done watching The Hunting of The President on DVD. It's a documentary that tells the story of the six-year, $70,000,000 debacle that started as a alleged real estate malfeasance (for which the Clintons were completely exonerated) and ended in several friends being abused and/or jailed by the special prosecutor for what would ultimately prove to be a failed attempt to impeach President Clinton for lying about a extramarital affair - a subject for his religious or marriage counselor perhaps, but hardly worth the time, money and resources of the U.S. taxpayers - however salacious their appetites.

My quick review is that the movie serves as an fairly thorough account of the dirty tricks and the dirty players involved in the "vast right-wing conspiracy" (which proves to be pretty much just as the First Lady alleged). It focuses mostly on whitewater, the Arkansas connections and Susan McDougal - who chose two years in jail over lying for the so-called independent council. The producers would have done well, however, to avoid the menacing soundtrack that served as a backdrop throughout most of the film because it only cheapens the seriousness of the subject matter - the abuse of power by, not The President, but the right-wing politicos who used every dirty trick they could purchase with your hard-earned tax dollars to defame him.

But the real cream of this DVD is not so much the film itself (though it serves the story well) but the comments of President Bill Clinton himself in the special features, shot on stage at the film's debut. It made me realize what a truly brilliant man and gifted speaker Bill Clinton is, and by contrast what an empty vessel and dim-witted tool we have in the White House now.

In his thought provoking and historically contextualized comments, Clinton transcended even my unabashed cynicism and gave me hope for our country when I thought there could be none. He reminded me that, however badly I might want revenge for the bullshit the neo-cons and Federalist Society demons have put us through, that we're not them and it does nothing to serve the greater good of our country. Eventually, and despite them, we'll forge ahead and make progress. History demands it.

Clinton is way smarter than I ever gave him credit for while he was president - and boy do I miss him now. We should all miss him now. Despite his very banal and human failings, he's truly a fair and decent man and history will undoubtedly vindicate him. This film is a good start.